Pressure accumulator



March 10, 1953 E. WEBER ETAL PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET '1 Filed March 30, 1948 Q J 6 i A 3 7 m n: 8 3. 7 M

s 5 M H mn n M e m mWm. A E h WWW i M YJ B March 10, 1953 l. E. WEBER ET AL PRESSURE ACCUMULA'IOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 30, 1948 IN V EN TORS. Isaac E. Weben Joseph DI/umenfeld 3 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 10, 1953 PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR Isaac E. Weber, New Rochelle, and Joseph Blumenfeld, New York, N. Y. said Weber assignor to said Blumenfeld, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Simone Mercier, New

York, N. Y.

' Application March 30, 1948, Serial No. 17,864

4 Claims.

This invention relates to pressure accumulators of the type that comprises a container to be fill-ed with a fluid usually a. liquid, and a collapsible and expansible rubber bag in the container, filled with a buffer fluid, preferably air under pressure.

This application is a continuation in part of our co-pending application Serial Number 519,782 filed January 26, 1944, now Patent No. 2,550,892.

As it is generally required that the liquid to be expelled from the container of the accumulator be available under very high pressure, the rubber bag must necessarily initially be filled with a gas under a high pressure which may be of the order of 1500 pounds per square inch.

When liquid is pumped into the container (as for instance by means of a piston pump), the enclosed inflated rubber bag will be compressed and collapsed and the pressure per unit of area "of the gas inside the bag will equal that of the liquid compressed in the container. By means of a suitable valve on the container outlet, the latter can be opened, thereby enabling the rubher bag to expand and force liquid from the container under progressively decreasing pressure, to flow, for example, to a hydraulic system such as a motor vehicle brake.

Where the flexible rubber bag in expanding with the expulsion of liquid from the container is forced against the outlet, the highly compressed gas in the rubber bag is likely to cause the wall thereof to extrude from such outlet and block discharge therefrom, as well as pinching the wall of the bag with possible tearing thereof, or other damage thereto. When very high pressures are used, which is common in devices of this type, such damage is likely to occur even if the outlet or port is of very small diameter.

Where a large rate of flow of the liquid is to be effected, as is desirable. in some applications of pressure accumulators, unless the outlet or port remains open until substantially all the liquid in the container is expelled, the trapped liquid will not be available for useful purposes. Also where the rubber bag, when expanding collects liquid in pockets between the outer wall of the bag and the inner wall of the container the entire available supply of liquid cannot, be utilized and to the extent of this trapping of liquid the device is not efiicient and a correspondingly larger container would have to be used for a given job.

It is accordingly among the objects of this invention to provide a pressure accumulator of the above type, that is simple and rugged in construction, relatively light in weight and efficient in operation, that can operate at very high pressure without danger of tearing or other injury to the expansible bag therein, and that will preclude material trapping and permit substantially complete expulsion of the liquid therefrom.

According to the invention the device comprises a spherical or cylindro-spherical container in which a collapsible and expansible rubber bag is housed which in distended but substantially unstretched condition is smaller than the cavity of the container.

The outlet or port is preferably provided with an upstanding member spacing the bag from said outlet and against which the rubber bag will react after the container has been exhausted to the extent to permit the wall of the rubher bag to stretch and the inflated bag therefore to stiffen, to press against the wall of the container opposed to said upstanding member.

Further expansion of the stretched and stiffened bag in discharge of liquid from the container will result in higher reaction pressure against the wall area of said container opposed to said upstanding member than against the intervening wall areas of said container. Thus as the inflated bag continues to expand and stiffen, the liquid in the container will be progressively forced from between the bag and the wall area opposed to theupstanding member.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of the various possible embodiments of the several features of this invention,

Fig, 1 is a View in longitudinal cross section of one embodiment of the device,

Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. l of another embodiment of the device,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view otherwise similar to Fig. 1 of another embodiment of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of still another embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings the pressure accumulator in all embodiments herein, comprises a container or pressure chamber I] preferably. of strong, rigid'materialsuch as steel, cast aluminum or the like, cap-able of withstanding high pressure. The containermay be spherical or cylindro-spherical as desired and has a collapsible and expansible bag l2 therein which preferably is of resilient material such as rubher or synthetic plastic of like physical characteristics, and which is distended but substantially unstretched condition is smaller than the cavity of the container. The container I I has an inlet i3 leading into the rubber bag l2 and an outlet or port 14 providing access to the container.

Referring specifically to Fig. l the upper end of container H has an inlet opening t6 therein through which a hollow inlet member I! is inserted. Member I! has a convex head (8 at the inner end thereof with openings l8 therethrough leading into the bore 20 of; member ll. Rim 2;! of head l8 and the adjacent portion of member I! present a peripheral depression 23, which, when the head 18 of the inlet member I? is forced into the opening 24 at the top of the rubber bag I2, engages the beaded rim 25 of said opening.

Inlet member H has a reduced neck 2'; forming a shoulder or stop 28 which'prevents rim 2; from cutting the rubber bag and injuring the same. This might occur if the nut 23 secured by a locl: washer 32, and which coacts with the threaded portion 30 of the reduced neck 27 to clamp the beaded rim 25 of rubber bag #2 between rim 2! and top wall 3! of the container, should be tightened excessively.

The bottom end 33 of the container H has a closure plug 15 removably afiixed thereto by means of the ooacting screw threads 34. Plug 25 comprises a bottom plate 35 having internally threaded outlet or port M therein, an upstanding rim 36 at the periphery of the bottom plate and integral therewith and an upstanding member comprising a convex cover plate 31 seated on. the rim as and rigid therewith, the. bottom plate the cover plate defining a liquid receiving and holding space 39 therebetween. In the embodiment herein shown a. convex cap 38. of. porous material, such as porous bronze, the concavity of which conforms to the convexity or cover plate 3?, is preferably affixed to the letter at the edge thereof, the cover plate serving to provide support for the porous cap. However, it is to be understood that the cap 38 could be. afiixed directly to the rim 36 of the plug or the device could be used with only the convexv cover plate Cover plate 31 has a plurality of; passageways 4! therethrough preferably disposed from the center to the edge thereof, and an opening 42 is provided at the center of the convex cap, 38 and the cover late 3.1 into which a bolt 44 is. inserted. The rim :iii of head 45.. of bolt 4.4 and the body of said bolt adjacent said head present a peripheral depression 46, which, when the head of the bolt is inserted into opening 4? at the bottom of the rubber bag l2 will engage the beaded rim 48 of said opening. The bolt has a reduced nose it forming a shoulder or stop 43 which engages the convex face of cap 38 about opening 42 therein so that when nut 49 is threaded on the end of bolt M which extends into space 39, the beaded rim 48 of opening 41 will be firmly clamped between the rim of head 45 and porous cap 38 without danger of injury to the rim 48 in the event of excessive tightening of nut 49.

To assemble the device shown in Fig. 1, the head 18 of member H is inserted into the opening 24 in rubber bag I2- so that the annular de pression 23 in the rim 2| and the Wall of the inlet member l1 engage the beaded rim 25. The neck 2'. of member H is then inserted into. the

inlet opening IS in the container so that the shoulder or stop 28 of the inlet member l'l rests against the inner wall of the container as at 28 and the threaded end 30 of the inlet member 17 extends from the top of the container.

Nut 29 is threaded around said neck and secured by washer 32, rigidly to clamp the beaded rim 25 of the rubber bag between rim 2: of the convex head 48 of the inlet member and the wall of the container. The head 45 of bolt 44 is insorted into the opening 47 at the end of rubber bag 12 so that annular depression d6 engages the headed rim 4S. Closure plug 15 is then tlueaded into the open end of the container I! with bolt 44 passing through the openings 32 in the convex cap 38 and the cover plate 31. The outlet M in the closure plug 15 is of sufiicient size so that convenient access is afforded to enable nut 59 to be screwed on the threaded end .0 of bolt 44 to complete the assembly.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2 a closure plug or outlet closing valve assembly 5'!" is aihxed in an opening 55 at th bottom f the container. The s m ly 5? comprises a tubular member having an external peripheral flange 59 near the upper end thereof and an internal peripheral flange 59 The upper rim 58' of the tubular member 58 is. serrated to provide passageways Ell from the container to the outlet It. A snap ring 8-2 encompasses said tubular member 58 and is seated on a ledge or shoulder 51 about the opening 55, the peripheral flange 59 of the tubular member 53 resting on said snap ring 62 as at Encompassing said tubular member 58 and in juxtaposition with the opening in the container is a rubber gasket $4 which serves eiiectively to revent leakage between opening 55. in the container and the wall of member 58 when a nut 5 is screwed on the externally threaded. lower end 66 of tubular member 58.

An upstanding member comprising a displaceable substantially cup shaped cover plate or valve cup 88 with an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the rim 58 of the tubular member 58 is mounted above the latter by means of a bolt 69 extending through the center of said cover plate 68 and rigidly afiixed therein. The upper end of the bolt has a head it] which may be aflixed as at H into the bottom of rubber bag l2 as by vulcanizing thereinto. The lower end or the bolt passes through the hub '52 of a disc '13 having a plurality of openings "i l therethrough, smaller in size than the passageways iii in rim 58", for the reason hereinafter set forth, and is retained in said hub 12 by a nut l5 threaded on the end of the bolt. The upper end ii of a coupling member 76, threaded into tubular member 58 retains said disc 73 therein by; pressing the latter against the lower face of internal flange 50. A coil spring i8 is seated on the upper face of flange E0 and presses against the underside of the cover plate or valve cup 58 as at. 8 thereby normally to. retain the rim fil of the cover plate above the passageways t? the rim 58' or the tubular member thus maintaining the valve assembly 51' and con-- sequently the outlet or po t 14 in open position.

Inthis. embodiment. inlet it is sho n s n air va ve. which is ai fixed t the ru ber has 12 as at El in the manner of the conventional bicycle tire valve, an hence w l ot be descri d i detail- I-Iowever, it is; to be understood that the inlet shown in Fig. 1 could be used in place of this bicycle. type valve.

To assemble the device shown in Fig. 2 the rubher bag 52 with bolt 69 and cover plate 68 affixed thereto, is first inserted through the opening 55 in the container II and the air inlet I3 thereof is affixed to the wall of the container by nut Tubular member 58 with coil spring 18 seated on flange 60 is then inserted into opening 55 with the upper end of spring I0 against the underside of cover plate 58 as at I9 and snap ring 52 is placed around member 58 beneath flange 59. The tubular member 58 and snap ring 62 are then positioned so that the snap ring 62 becomes seated upon the ledge 51. Nut 65 is then screwed on the threaded portion 66 securely to clamp the tubular member 50 in opening 55. The threaded end of bolt 69 is then passed through the hub I2 of disc I3 and nut I is screwed thereon, so that rim 80 of the cover plate 08 will be in line with the top of rim 58' of the tubular member 58 as shown in Fig. 2, the tension of coil spring I8 retaining the cover plate 68 in valve open position. Coupling member I6 is then threaded into tubular member 58, the upper rim TI of the coupling member clamping the disc against the lower face of flange 50.

In the embodiments shown in Figs. 3 and 4 no inlet is shown. However, it is to be understood that either of the inlets shown in Figs. 1 or 2 could be used.

In Fig. 3 the spherical container II has an opening 85 at the bottom thereof in which a closure plug 85 is removably afi'ixed. The closure plug 85 comprises a bottom plate 89 having an internally threaded outlet or port I4 therein, an upstanding rim 90 at the periphery of the bottom plate and unitary therewith and a concave cover plate 9I seated on an annular shoulder 92 in the inner wall of said rim and rigidly affixed thereto. A portion of rim 90 extends above said cover plate to form an upstanding member or flange 93 which will be more fully described hereinafter.

A plurality of passageways 94. are provided in cover plate SI preferably disposed from the center to the edge thereof, and a plurality of laterally radiating ports 95 extend through said rim 90 from the interior of the container to the liquid receiving and holding space 90 between the bottom plate 09 and the cover plate 9|.

Closure plug 85' has a peripheral groove 91 therein beneath ports 85 and a rubber gasket 90 preferably afiixed to said rim beneath said groove. A snap ring 99 is seated on the beveled edge 86 of opening 85 of the container against shoulder 88 thereof, and in groove 91 in the rim 90 of the plug. A peripheral slot IGI is provided at the end of rim 90 below bottom plate 39, extending outside the container to accommodate a snap ring I02, thus securely to retain the closure plug in the container.

In the assembly of the device shown in Fig. 3, the rubber bag I2 is first inserted through the opening 85. Closure plug 85 is then inserted into opening 85 and snap ring 99 is fitted into peripheral groove 9'! in the rim of the closure plug and then seated on the beveled portion 85 against shoulder 88. Snap ring I02 is then in-- serted into peripheral slot IOI securely to retain the closure plug in place.

In Fig. 4 the container II has an opening I04 at the bottom thereof with a rim or neck I05 extending outwardly therefrom.

A closure plug I05 fitted in opening I04 comprises a bottom plate I01 having an internally threaded outlet or port I4 therein and a rim I08 on the periphery of the bottom plate extending both above and below the latter and unitary therewith. An upstanding member, comprising a convex cover plate I09 having a plurality of passageways I I8 therethrough, disposed from the center to the edge thereof and having a downwardly depending rim H0, is seated on the bottom plate and rigidly affixed thereto as at III. The upper portion IIZ of rim I08 along the outer periphery thereof, is beveled as at II3 to coact with the curved inner wall N4 of the container, and, as the closure plug I05 in this embodiment is introduced inside the container I I before spinning the neck I05 thereof, plug I05 is thus permanently retained in said container yet movable therein. A rubber gasket I I5 is affixed around the bottom portion I08 of rim I08 in a peripheral groove 5' to provide a seal between the neck of the container and the closure plug. To retain the closure plug I05 securely in the neck of the container a plurality of lateral openings IIE are provided in said neck and in the bottom portion I08 of rim I08 and into each pair of associated openings a pin II I may be inserted.

In assembling the device shown in Fig. 4, as the closure plug I05 is already in the opening I04 in the container, it is merely necessary to push the plug inside the container and then insert rubber bag I2 through opening I04. The plug I05 is then seated on the rim of the opening and pins II1 are inserted into openings H6 in the neck I05 and bottom portion I08 to retain the plug in place.

Operation To use any of the devices shown and described herein a fluid, preferably air, is forced under pressure into the inlet I3 leading into the rubber bag I2 until the desired pressure, which may be of the order of 1500 pounds per square inch or more, is attained. This will cause the rubber bag I2 to stretch and snugly engage the inner wall of the container. The inlet is then sealed by any suitable valve (not shown). A liquid, preferably an oil, is then forced under pressure into outlet or port I4 of the container to fill the latter.

The liquid compresses the gas in the rubber bag thus decreasing its volume, and as the liquid is generally forced into the container until a very high pressure is obtained, illustratively of the order of 5000 pounds per square inch, then and under such conditions the rubber bag is collapsed.

As the accumulator approaches exhaustion of liquid and the rubber bag becomes stretched and stiff, its reaction against the upstanding member protruding inside the container and which in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 comprises porous cap 38, cover plate or valve cap 68, flange 93 and cover plate I09 respectively, will force the bag against the pole of the container substantially opposite the upstanding member. The further expansion of the stretched and stiffened bag during continued discharge of liquid from the .container will result in a higher reaction pressure rubber bag and the container wallit would tend to be squeezed from the area of maximum pressure to the area of lesser pressure. This would prevent any liquid from bein trapped between the wall of the container and the rubber bag.

With this general principle of operation set forth, which is common to all the embodiments herein, the specific operation of each of the em bodiments is as follows:

As shown in Fig. 1 the liquid when initially forced into the container will pass through openings ll in convex plate 3? and ooze through porous cap 38, while as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the liquid will pass through the openings in the cover plates Si! and 1129 to fill the container.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 the liquid when forced into the port M will pass through openings '14 in disc 13 and press against the inner side of cover plate 58 and force the latter upwardly against the tension of the expanded rubher bag so that the openings 5'! in the rim 5% of tubular member 53 are no longer covered by the rim 8% of cover plate 68 thus enabling the liquid to fill the container. By means of a suit able valve (not shown) provided at the outlet the liquid is retained in the container.

To use the devices the outlets l6 thereof are connected to, for example, a hydraulic brake (not shown). When the outlets are opened, the pressure of the compressed gas in the rubber bag will force the incompressible liquid out of the containers.

It is to be noted that in Figs. 1 and e, as the rubber bag i2 expands it will first close the open ings 4i and H8 respectively in the curved cover plates at the center of the latter and then progressively close said openings radially outward until they all have been closed. This is clearly shown by reference to the dot and dash position or the rubber bag. This is prevented the sealing of the outlet or port while there is still any considerable amount of liquid in the container. The porous cap shown in Fig. 1 is especially useful where high pressures are involved for in such cases if not for the porous cap no matter how small the openings in the curved cover plate 3'! might be, the expanding gas in the rubber bag would cause the wall thereof to extrude from such openings thereby cutting such bag and also sealing the outlet.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, when the rubber bag is initially filled with gas under pres sure, the expanded and stiiiened bag will press upon the entire surface of member 68 and force it against the tension of spring 18 to seat the rim 88 against flange 59 to restrict the open ings 8?.

With the container 1 l filled with liquid and the outlet 44 sealed, the pressure in the container proper and in the space 58' between cover plate or valve cup 68 and the disc 13 will be equal, and the rubber bag [2 has been collapsed and is no longer stiff, it does not press against the valve cup 83 and the coil spring ill will retain the rim 80 of the valve cup 68 spaced from flange se.

When the port or outlet M is opened to enable liquid to be expelled, the rubber bag 82 will expand to the position shown in dashes in Fig. 2. As the openings 14 in disc '13 are relatively small compared to the openings 5i in rim 5 the pressure will remain substantially the same inside the container proper and in space '58, being slightly smaller in space 68'. The valve cup 83 would normally tend to move towards its seat on flange as to close openings 57 in the manner of the conventional dash-pot due to this slight differential of pressure, as the liquid is forced through openings 14 and out of the outlet. However, the

tension of coil spring '58 is sufficient to overcome this slight difference in pressure and retain the valve cup 68 spaced from flange 59.

As the rubber bag continues to expand with the expulsion of more liquid from the container to the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, the now relatively stiff bag will press against the valve cup 58 as can be seen in Fig. 2. This pressure will occur when substantially all the liquid has been expelled from the container and will overcome the tension of the coil spring and seat the rim 8% of the valve cup on flange 59 to close the valve and restrict the outlet to permit the bag to encompass it without extrusion.

It is to be noted that the distance between rim 88 of the valve cup 533 and flange 59 is such that the bag when expanding cannot reach openings 5? without first exerting sufficient pressure to seat the valve cup. This prevents extrusion of the wall of the rubber bag from the openings 6'! with resultant injury thereto.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is especially desirable where large liquid flow is required, for whereas the porous cap 3'! and apertures 41 in the cover plate 3'? do prevent injury to the rubber bag, they restrict the flow to a far greater extent than do the openings 57 and M.

The use of a disc '53 with openings 14 therein, smaller than the openings ii! in rim 5%, though it somewhat diminishes the rate of flow, is necessitated by the fact that if no such disc was used, the rate of flow through the outlet would be so great that the pressure in space 68 would rapidly fall causing a pressure differential between the container proper and space sufficient to oversome the tension of coil spring 58, thereby causing the valve cup 63 to be seated on flange 59 before all the available liquid was expelled from the container. Qnce this has occurred, openings 5? will remain closed until the valve cup 68 is displaced from its seat on flange 59 by the forcing of more liquid into the container.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the liquid in the container will escape therefrom through openings St in cover plate 3i and lateral ports $5 into space 9 3 and thence through outlet it.

When the rubber bag expands to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3 it contacts flange 93 of closure plug and cuts off openings 94 from communication with the container. However, lateral ports 95 will still remain open. Further expansion of the rubber bag to the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3 will force any liquid remaining on the plate 9! through the openings 94 therein and also seal the ports 95. With this construction substantially all the space in the container is utilized and all the available liquid therein is forced out.

As a result of the constructions herein described a pressure accumulator is available which will be efficient in operation, relatively small in size, utilizing substantially all the available liquid therein for the purpose required and without danger of injury to the rubber bag or of inavailability of liquid under pressure when needed.

While the invention finds an important field of use in hydraulic power systems such as brakes, in which an incompressible liquid is stored under gas pressure, it is of wider utility in arrangements in which a compressible gas is thus stored, and also has utility in systems in which a liquid is introduced in the previously non-inflated bag for the purpose of expelling from the container a fluid, either a liquid or a gas.

As many changes could be made in the above device and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A pressure accumulator comprising a container having an opening therein, a collapsible and expansible rubber bag in said container having an inlet thereto, an annular flange around the opening in said container defining a shoulder, a tubular member in said opening having an external peripheral flange, a serrated rim extending above said external peripheral flange, and an internal peripheral flange, a snap ring encompassing said tubular member beneath said external peripheral flange and seated on said annular flange against said shoulder, a nut affixed to said tubular member and clamping the latter to said annular flange, a gasket encompassing said tubular member between said nut and said snap ring to provide a seal therebetween, a cup shaped member displaceably mounted with respect to said serrated rim and having an inner diameter greater than the diameter of said rim, 2. bolt rigid with said cup shaped member at the center thereof and affixed to said rubber bag, a coil spring encompassing said bolt, seated on the upper face of said internal peripheral flange and urged against the underside of said cup shaped member, a disc having a hub and a plurality of openings therethrough, the lower end of said bolt extending through said hub, a nut aflixed to said bolt beneath said disc, and a coupling member in said tubular member clamping said disc against the bottom face of said internal peripheral flange.

2. A pressure accumulator comprising a container having an opening therein, a collapsible and expansible rubber bag in said container having an inlet thereto, a tubular member aflixed in said opening and having a serrated inner end extending into said container, a cup shaped valve member in said container displaceably mounted with respect to the serrated inner end of said tubular member and having an inner diameter greater than the diameter of the inner end of said tubular member so that it may encompass the latter, a seat for said valve member in said container between the serrated inner end of said tubular member and said opening and means normally to retain said valve member spaced from said seat to permit flow of fluid through the serrated inner end of said tubular member.

3. A pressure accumulator comprising a container having an opening therein, a collapsible and expansible rubber bag in said container having an inlet thereto, a tubular member aflixed in said opening having an external annular lateral flange defining a valve seat in said container, said member having an annular serrated inner end outstanding from said flange at right angles thereto, a cup shaped valve member displaceably mounted with respect to said serrated inner end and having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said serrated end to encompass the latter and means to. retain the valve mem-- ber spaced from said seat to permit flow of fluid through the serrated inner end of said tubular member.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said bag is aflixed to said displaceable valve member.

ISAAC E. WEBER. JOSEPH BLUMENFELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

